Cartridge actuated sealing tool



May l, 1956 c. M. MaGcHEsNEY 2,743,631

CARTRIDGE ACTUATED SEALING TOOL Filed Jan. 22, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 6' Che@ er/Y/VacC/zes@ Ma( M Wwf@ May 1, 1956 c. M. MaccHEsNEY 2,743,631

CARTRIDGE ACTUATED SEALING TOOL C5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 22, 1953 INVENTR.

CzesZLerM/Vac C2295@ May 1, 1956 c. M. MaCcHEsNEY 2,743,631

CARTRIDGE ACTUATED SEALING TOOL.

Filed Jan. 22, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent O CARTRIDGE ACTUATED SEALING TOOL Chester M. MacChesney, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinois Application January 22, 1953, Serial No. 332,660

3 Claims. (Cl. 81 9.1)

This invention relates to sealing tools for use in deforming the overlapping ends of metal straps or bands and portions of enclosing metal seals to provide interlocking joints. Various forms of sealing tools have heretofore been provided for this purpose but the present invention is particularly adapted for heavy duty sealing operations where it is desired to form interlocking joints between the ends of metal straps or bands of substantial width and gauge.

One use of sealing tools of this type is that of forming joints between heavy metal bands which surround a plurality of boxes, barrels or other load elements which are secured together in order to form relatively large load units within freight cars or other carriers. The formation of a joint between heavy bands of this type and surrounding metal seals requires a considerable expenditure of energy and it is a diicult operation to be performed manually. The principal object of the present invention is to provide a tool of this type which is actuated by a cartridge of powder or other explosive material which is detonated by the operator when the tool is in place on the strap and seal in order to bring about the deformation of the seal and the enclosed strap ends without any effort on the part of the operator other than that which is required to explode the charge. A further object of the invention is to provide a cartridge actuated sealing tool having means for simultaneously deforming the edges of the overlapping strap ends and the enclosing seal at a plurality of points and for automatically releasing the tool from the joint after it has been formed. Other objects of the invention relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is illustrated. In the drawings,

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the improved cartridge actuated sealing tool;

Fig. 2 shows an edge elevation of the tool illustrated in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 with the sealing jaws illustrated by full lines in their joint forming positions and, by dotted lines, in their retracted positions preliminary to placing the tool in position against the sealing and the strap ends;

Fig. 4 shows a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 3 illustrating the relative positions of the parts after the sealing jaws have been retracted by the inertia of the charge after the joint has been formed;

Fig. 5 shows a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 shows a sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 shows a sectional view taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 3;

2,743,631 Patented May 1, 1956 Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the joint formed by the tool illustrated in Figs. 1-8.

As illustrated in the drawings, the invention comprises a frame 1l] having an upper cross member 10a and two parallel side plates 10b which extend downwardly therefrom. Between the side plates 10b there are mounted a plurality of sealing jaws 11 which are arranged alternately with a plurality of cutting dies 12. The jaws l1 are pivotally mounted on bolts 13 extending through the side plates 10b and engaged at their ends by nuts 14. ln the embodiment illustrated there are ve jaws l1 at each side of the tool arranged opposite each other in pairs and there are four shearing dies 12 arranged alternately between the pairs of sealing jaws 11 with their end portions engaged and supported by the bolts 13, as shown particularly in Figs. 2, 7 and 8.

Each shearing die 12 is provided on its underside with a recess bounded by a horizontal surface 12a which is connected at its ends with the side walls 12b arranged to project between the pointed extremities 11b of the jaws 11 in such a manner that when the hooked extremities 11b of the jaws are closed upon each other from the positions shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3 to the positions shown by full lines in that ligure, the cooperating parts of the members 11 and 12 bring about a deformation of the seal and the enclosed strap ends. ln Figs. 3 and 9 there is shown a seal 15 of the tubular sleeve type enclosing two overlapping strap ends 16 which are sheared at their edges as shown at 16a by the action of the jaws 11 and dies 12, so that portions of the metal of the strap ends and seal between adjacent pairs of cuts are deflected transversely to the plane of the strap ends to form projections 16h which provide an interlocking joint of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent of Ralph H. Norton, No. 1,260,016, dated March 19, 1918.

The jaws 11 are provided with outwardly and upwardly extending arms 11n which are pivotally connected at their upper ends by means of pins 17 to links 18. These links have their inner ends connected by pins 19 to a driving member 20 which is adapted to reciprocate vertically between the side plates 10b of the frame, being provided at each side with a lug 20a which is adapted to slide in a groove 10c formed in one of the side frame members. The driving member 20 is provided on its underside with ejecting members 20h having at lower faces 20c adapted to engage the upper side of the top wall of the seal 15 upon being extended downwardly between the shearing dies 12 for the purpose of ejecting the seal joint from the tool after the jaws 11 have been retracted to the positions shown by full lines in Fig. 4. ln the embodiment shown, there are live ejecting members 20h, each in alignment with two opposite jaws 11.

The driving member 20 is provided on its upper side with a cylindrical plunger or piston 20d which is adapted to slide in a bore 22a formed in a sleeve 22 secured in the cross frame member 10a. When the jaws 11 are retracted to the positions shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3 the plunger 20d occupies a position in the bore 22a with its upper end in proximity to the lower extremity of a barrel member 23 having a threaded engagement with the upper end of the sleeve 22. This barrel 23 is provided with a tubular bore 23a in which the cartridge 24 of explosive material is mounted with its annular rim 24a engaging the upper end of the bore somewhat below the upper end of the sleeve 22. The upper ends of the sleeve 22 and the barrel 23 are adapted to be closed by a cap member 25 which has a depending skirt portion 25a threadedly engaging the upper end of the sleeve 22. This cap member rests upon the upper end of the sleeve 22 and is provided with a centrally located cham ber 25h in which there is mounted a tiring pin 26. This tiring pin has a cone-shaped lower end extending into a correspondingly shaped cavity at the lower end of the chamber 25h and. at the bottom of this cavity, a projection 26a on the firing pin is adapted to extend through an aperture at the bottom of the cavity to engage the tiring cap of the cartridge 24 and thereby detonate the charge. The firing pin 26 is normally held in its upper retracted position by means of a coil spring 27 which sea/ts against the lower end of the chamber 25b and against a collar 26h formed on the tiring pin, thus forcing this collar upwardly against the member 28 which threadedly engages the upper enlarged end of the chamber 25h and which is provided with a central bore 28a through which the upper end 26C of the tiring pin extends. The top end of the portion 26C of the tiring pin terminates somewhat below the level ol an annular ange 25d formed on the cap member 25 so that accidental engagement with the firing pin is prevented although it may be thrust downwardly against the compression of the spring 27 by a blow from a hammer or the like which may enter the recess within the ange 25d.

1n the use of the apparatus the strap 16 is drawn taut around the object or group of objects to be bound and the ends of the strap are threaded through the tubular seal 15, whereupon the sealing tool is brought into posilion against the seal with one side of the seal bearing against the surfaces 12a of the shearing dies 12. At this time, the sealing jaws 11 are retracted as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3 and the plunger 20d occupies a position within the bore 22a of the sleeve 22. The operator then hits the tiring pin 26e with a hammer or the like, thus exploding the charge in the cartridge 24 and causing the plunger d to be projected downwardly with the result that the opposite jaws 11 are closed upon each other while having relative movement with respect to the adjacent shearing dies I2. As the jaws li move to the positions shown by full lines in Fig. 3, the edges of the strap and seal are sheared and deflected to form an' interlocking joint as previously described. The force of the explosive charge carries the driving member 20 downwardly beyond the position shown by full lines in Fig. 3 so that the ejecting portions 20b thereof engage the seal joint and eject it from the tool at the same time that this continued motion oi the driving head 20 reverses the positions of the links 18 so that they move to the positions illustrated in Fig. 4 and thereby retract the jaws ll to permit the removal of the joint. When the joint has been released from the tool, the tool may be removed and the parts will be restored by gravity to their initial positions when the position of the tool is such that the plunger 20ct' is directed downwardly. The cap member may then bc removed and a new cartridge 24 put in place for another operation.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be under- Cil 4 stood that it may be constructed in various other ernbodirneats whieheeme within the scope of the appended claims.

l claim:

1. The combination in a sealing tool for forming a joint between strap ends, of stationary cutting dies adapted to engage one side of the strap ends, relatively movable jaws adapted upon movement toward each other to engage the other side of said strap ends and to deform the edges of said strap ends in cooperation with said cutting dies, means actuated by an explosive charge for effectng said relative movement, and means actuated by said last named means upon further movement thereof for ejecting the deformed strap ends from said jaws.

2. The combination in a sealing tool for forming a joint between strap ends, of stationary cutting dies adaptcd to engage one side of the strap ends, relatively movable jaws adapted to engage the other side of said strap ends upon movement toward each other to deform the edges of the strap ends in cooperation with said dies, a reciprocating driver connected to said jaws to effect said relative movement thereof toward each other upon the initial movement of said driver in one direction and to separate said jaws upon further movement of said driver in the saine direction, means actuated by an explosive charge for effecting said movement of said driver in said direction, and means carried by said driver and extending between said jaws for ejecting said strap ends from said tool upon said further movement of said driver.

3. The combination in a sealing tool for forming a joint between strap ends, of stationary cutting dies adapted to engage one side of the strap ends, relatively movable jaws adapted to engage the other side of the strap ends upon movement thereof toward each other to cooperate with said cutting dies in deforming the edges of said strap ends, a driver connected to said jaws to effect said relative movement thereof, and means actuated by an explosive charge to operate said driver to effect said movement, said driver having a part adapted to extend between said dies to eject the strap ends from the tool upon continued motion of the driver after the strap ends have been deformed.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,467,262 Barker Sept. 4, 1923 1,764,911 Treat June 17, 1930 1,924,844 Edwards Aug. 29, 1933 1,974,913 Childress Sept. 25, 1934 2,008,362 Littlehale July 16, 1935 2,132,148 Davis Oct. 4, 1938 2.216,579 Adamson Oct. 1, 1940 2,315,596 Childress Apr. 6, 1943 2,320,680 Temple June 1, 1943 2,446,994 Barker Aug. 17, 1948 2,677,981 Temple May 11, 1954 

